Global Warming Shrinking Plant Leaves

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Warming temperatures are turning a native Australian shrub into a
mini version of itself, revealing the effect climate change is
already having on the globe.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide examined specimens of
narrow-leaf hopbush (Dodonaea viscosa, subspecies
angustissima), a woody shrub with papery red seed
capsules that were used by early Australian colonists
to brew beer. They found that between the 1880s and the
present, leaves have narrowed by an average of 0.08 inches (2
millimeters).

" Climate
change is often discussed in terms of future impacts, but
changes in temperature over recent decades have already been
ecologically significant," study researcher Greg Guerin, a
postdoctoral researcher at the University of Adelaide, said in a
statement. "Climate change is driving adaptive shifts within
plant species and leaf shape has demonstrated adaptive
significance in relation to climate."

In the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, rainfall has stayed
fairly constant while maximum temperatures have increased by 0.7
degrees Fahrenheit (1.2 degrees Celsius) since 1950. Guerin and
his colleagues looked at hopbush specimens dating back as far as
the 1880s.

"Our results indicate that leaf width is closely linked to
maximum temperatures," Guerin said. The results were detailed
online July 3 in the in the journal Biology Letters.

Some Australian species are more likely to adapt to climate
change than others, the researchers said.

"It's important to understand how plants cope with the
changing climate, because species that are more adaptive to
change may be good candidates for environmental restoration
efforts," Guerin said.